Vol 51, No 3 (2016)

Materials of bottom sampling and drilling on Ebelyakh Bay, the Cape Svyatoi Nos area, and southern part of the Dmitry Laptev Strait by researchers from VNIIOkeangeologiya during the past 60 years and data on the geological setting of the Chokhchur–Chokurdakh zone (Ebelyakh Bay included) were also examined. The geology and lithology of Cenozoic sediments in the water area of the bay and adjacent land were scrutinized to elucidate mineral resources in the Earth’s interior in the study area. Analysis of the Upper Jurassic–Holocene summary section shows that terrigenous material was derived from (i) coastal zones composed of granitoid or contact metamorphic rocks, (ii) Quaternary friable sediments of marine terraces and beaches, (iii) submarine rises, and (iv) river discharge. It is shown that cassiterite is associated with the Pliocene–lower Pleistocene Serkino horizon and Holocene sediments. New promising cassiterite areas have been revealed. The results suggest that prospecting for tin placers should be continued at Ebelyakh Bay.

The results of isotope-geochemical studies of carbonates of different mineral types from manganese and host rocks of the Famennian manganiferous formation of Pai-Khoi are reported. Kutnahorite ores are characterized by δ¹³C values from–6.6 to 1.3‰ and δ¹⁸O from 20.0 to 27.4‰. Rhodonite–rhodochrosite rocks of the Silovayakha ore occurrence have δ¹³C from–5.2 to–2.9 and δ¹⁸O from 25.4 to 24.3‰. Mineralogically similar rocks of the Nadeiyakha ore occurrence show the lighter carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions: δ¹³C from–16.4 to–13.1 and δ¹⁸O from 24.8 to 22.5‰. Similar isotopic compositions were also obtained for rhodochrosite–kutnahorite rocks of this ore occurrence: δ¹³C from–13.0 to–10.4‰ and δ¹⁸O from 24.6 to 21.7‰. Siderorodochrosite ores differ in the lighter oxygen and carbon isotopic compositions: δ¹⁸O from 18.7 to 17.6‰ and δ¹³C from–10.2 to–9.3‰, respectively. In terms of the carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions, host rocks in general correspond to marine sedimentary carbonates. Geological-mineralogical and isotope data indicate that the formation of the manganese carbonates was related to the hydrothermal ore-bearing fluids with the light isotopic composition of oxygen and carbon dissolved in CO₂. The isotopic features indicate an authigenic formation of manganese carbonates under different isotopegeochemical conditions.

New data on the stratigraphy and lithology of the Lower–Middle Devonian rocks at junction of the Volga–Ural anteclise, Ural foredeep, and North Caspian basin are reported. Facies maps are also presented for the Takatinian, Koiva–Vyazov, Eifelian, and Givetian stages of the region evolution. The paleogeographic evolution and structural zonation of the basin in the Early–Middle Devonian are discussed. The evolution of carbonate buildups (Akbulak and Saraktash) in connection with their possible petroleum potential is examined.